Perception of Parents about the Consequences of Over Schooling on the Cognitive and Psychosocial Development of the Nigerian Child at the Private Pre Primary Schools

Abstract

This paper examined the” Perception of parents about the consequences of over-schooling on the cognitive and psychosocial development of the Nigerian child at the private pre-primary schools.” The paper was a descriptive survey that elicited information from a sample of the population that was made up of parents that had their children or wards in private pre-primary schools in Ankpa, Kogi State. The five primary schools used for the study out of the thirty five (35) duly registered private primary schools in Ankpa township were sampled using simple random sampling procedure while a sample of two hundred (200) respondents was composed using accidental sampling procedure. The instrument was an eighteen (18) item questionnaire designed by the researchers and was face-validated by two experts in the department of Educational foundations, University of Jos. The instrument was divided into three sections-A, B and C. Section A, introduced the questionnaire while B and C fielded eighteen (18) questions on the consequences of over-schooling on the cognitive and psychosocial development of children. The instrument was on a four-point responses rates of strongly agree (SA), agree (A), disagree (D) and strongly disagree (SD). The data collected were analyzed using tables, mean and standard deviation statistical tools. The findings of the study were that parents perceived over-schooling to have negative consequences on both the cognitive and the psychosocial developments of pupils at the pre primary schools. Based on these findings, recommendations were put forward to include the establishment and enforcement of rules that will enable pre-primary pupils close earlier from school and that parents and teachers should have realistic expectations of pupils at this level of training to reduce the pressure they are subjected to.